INTERVIEW WITH JAGJIT SINGH - II

Who : Jagjit Singh
About : Legendary Indian Ghazal Singer
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagjit_Singh_(singer)

How it happened : Interview with Jagjit Singh
Interview Date: Summer,2001
Place: Bahrain
Pic: Below, at the hotel lobby where I interviewed him

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : You started singing in the late 50s. How has the face of music changed since then?
Jagjit Singh (ST) : It’s been almost 50 years since I have been seeing changes in the music scene. Lots of things have changed. The standard of poetry has gone down. Because of the growth of science, Indian equipments and sound have improved so much that the singing quality has gone down, as you have the facility to correct your faults, through these machinery and equipments. In the process, the introduction of visual music has done harm to real music, you see. Due to this, people only see the music and don’t care to hear it and as they get to see it on their television sets, they don’t buy the cassettes or CDs. So, that is a big change in scene. Also, non-professional people have entered into this field. Some people have money, and they can afford to make videos. The media people don’t mind showing these videos free of cost. Music has thus gone into wrong hands. But I am sure it won’t stay like this. It will change in the near future.

NT: As ghazals were popular only amongst select audiences during the times you sung, did you think you would be successful ?
JS : Ghazals were popular everywhere. During the 50s and 60s, 90 % film songs were based on ghazals. So you cannot say that they were limited to select audiences. Only a few ghazal singers like Begum Akhtar, etc., who were not in films, had limited audiences, for the very same reason. But, otherwise, ghazal songs were very popular. Most of the old songs of Talat Mehmood, Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar, etc., are all based on ghazals.

NT : We see a new pop singer or a bhangra singer on the music scene everyday. Why don’t we get to see ghazal singers that often ?
JS : Because we, ghazal singers, don’t have anything visual to show ! We don’t dance, we don’t wear funny clothes, we don’t keep half naked girls with us. So that’s why they don’t believe in singing ghazals.

NT :Among the new ghazal singers, who do you think will be able to follow in your footsteps in the field of ghazal singing ?
JS : At present, I can't pinpoint a single one, but whosoever works hard, will ultimately be successful. There are few boys, like, Mohammed Vakil, Shyam Vaswani, Vinod Sehgal, Jaspinder Singh, who I think are quite good. So let us see, who is the best and who is the most talented.

NT : You have worked with lyricists like Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and a variety of other lyricists. According to you, whom do you best get along with?
JS : It’s not the poet who is the best. It’s his work, which speaks for him. So I don’t mind working with anybody, provided his work is good. Actually, I am very selective. I select the best lyrics. Even with Gulzar or Javed, I select their lyrics based on my choice, according to what I feel is good.

NT : You have cut out albums, the proceedings of which have been donated to funding organizations like CRY and National Association of Blind. Are you still affiliated with them, and if yes, in what way ?
JS : We do some concerts for them, occasionally. Other than CRY and NAB, I have also sung for Save the Children, Cancer Society, etc. There are so many funding societies, and when they come to me, I can’t refuse.

NT : Your Punjabi songs get widely acknowledged, like we witnessed in the concert yesterday. Why don’t you cut a Punjabi song album for a change ?
JS : These songs are all from my old albums. Most of the Punjabi songs I sing at concerts are all from my past albums. And why do I do a full album ? Small doses of everything are good. (Smiles)

NT : What makes a good ghazal singer ?
JS : You must know the language, first of all. You must know music, you must be trained in music and singing, whether you sing for bhajans or for pop albums. You must have formal training. You have to have a good, cultured voice. You should also be educated. So, these are the things which make a good human being, and of course, a good musician.

NT : Could you please tell us something about your guru, who discovered such a great music maestro in you ?
JS : (Laughs) Neither he discovered me, nor I discovered him. We met, because of destiny. And we started exchanging notes of music. He started teaching me and I started grasping it. But ultimately, you have to work hard to get success.

NT : Does one necessarily have to be a ghazal lover to understand ghazals ? Why do you think the youth of today is a bit more inclined toward the other forms of music ?
JS : No, you are mistaken there. Today’s youth is inclined towards ghazals also, towards me also (laughs) ! Youth is always divided. They have no mind. They always go towards the fashion. And when they realise that pop music, etc is nothing, they come back to ghazals.

NT : Apart from the depth and wording of lyrics, upon what criteria do you choose the album in which you sing ?
JS : The language has to be understandable, apart from being meaningful, of course. The thought has to be so good that it can touch your heart. There has to be some surprise factor in the poetry. That’s what I choose upon.

NT : Can you name your 5 most favourite ghazals ?
JS : I can’t pinpoint at 5 particular ghazals, really. But, some songs like, ‘Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo’, ‘Ahista Ahista’, ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’, ‘Mera Geet Amar Kar Do’ are really close to my heart. But there are so many that I can’t really tell which are the 5 most favourite ones.

NT : What do you do when you are not singing ?
JS : I do shopping, I meet friends, I go out…I just have a good time.

NT : What would you call as your most memorable moment from your career of more than 40 years ?
JS : Most memorable moment ? Actually…nothing has come surprisingly or suddenly. I have worked hard for everything. There are so many moments that have come and gone in my life. I have sung in some of the most prestigious places of the world, like, Royal Festival Hall, Lincoln Centre, Royal Albert Hall in London…these are all memorable places for me, all memorable moments throughout.

NT : How many hours do you still riyaz in a day ?
JS : I never count the hours. When I sit, I sit (Smiles). Sometimes I riyaz continuously for two hours, three hours or four hours at a stretch.

NT : Finally, what are you currently working on and what are your future plans ?
JS : Currently, I have been working on another album. It has been written by Javed Akhtar. It will be released soon. I have also just released a bhajan album last week – Jai Siya Ram. I haven’t made up my mind yet, as to what to start next. But I am definitely starting a new album soon.